Bangor's Vass living, running with a purpose

Junior has his life, Slaters' offense in order.

Phil Vass moved from wide receiver to running back early in Bangor's preseason camp and the Slaters have been much better for it.

The junior leads the Colonial League in rushing and is second in scoring, and the Slaters are 4-0 so far this season.

But it was a move the previous summer that perhaps altered Vass' life forever.

Vass and his mother, Cindi, of Mount Bethel, came to a mutual decision in late July 2011 that it was best if he moved out. They agreed that his behavior at home wasn't getting any better and couldn't be tolerated any longer.

Vass moved to a foster home in Bethlehem and attended Freedom during his sophomore year.

Now known for his straightahead, bulldozer running style, Vass' life was headed straight downhill and he knew it. He recognized that he had this one chance to straighten himself out.

"The first couple of months were pretty hard," the 17-year-old recalled. "But, over time, I felt myself maturing and getting ready to come back home."

While at Freedom, Vass didn't play football for the first time since third grade when he was a member of the Blue Valley Patriots. By the time spring rolled around, he went out for the track & field team to get prepared for football.

He returned 11 months later to his Mount Bethel home, and he and his family — which also includes sister Jasmine, 16; and brother Saiavaughn, 13 — are better for it.

When Vass did some training this past summer, he took along his brother for runs in the neighborhood. He better understood his big-brother role in the household.

But, to this day, there remains strong feelings that someone was missing. There was.

Vass' father, Larry, died when his oldest son was in elementary school.

Larry Vass, who worked as an auditor, pulled over while driving home one day six years ago and called 9-1-1. An ambulance took him to a local hospital and all seemed fine, Phil said.

"The nurse said he was doing really well," he recalled. "He was talking about us, how much he loved his family. And then, he just passed away."

Phil felt the void hardest when there were father-son activities at school. He saw his friends and their dads together and it tore him apart.

"In elementary school, there was this doughnuts with dads [fundraiser]," he said. "All my friends got to go with their dads. I couldn't go."

After taking last season off, Vass now pays tribute to his father by playing football, a sport the elder Vass did growing up in Hackettstown, N.J.

Perhaps his mean streak on the field is related to his frustration of not having his father there to support and encourage him.

Whatever it is, it's working.

"He's nowhere near as intense in real life as he is on the field," Bangor coach Frank Scagliotta said. "He's a great kid to have around."

Scagliotta expected to have a running back-by-committee this season with the graduation of last year's starter, Josh Wing.

But Vass has become the central offensive figure as the Slaters got off to a strong start to the Colonial League season.

"We're still by committee," Scagliotta said, "but, as someone said, Phil has become the chairman."

Vass also has a father figure-by-committee situation that he said is working out pretty well. His grandfather, Lawrence, makes the trip from Coopersburg to every one of his games and is the first one to greet him after games with words of wisdom.

Vass is hoping to return the favor by going to college and learning to become a mason in part because his grandfather is "really good at fixing things."

The Bangor junior also credits his uncle, Bill, several older male cousins and family friends with being there for him. He also knows that schoolmates such as Josh Pensyl, Ryan Hydock and Michael Clarke have his back on and off the field.

Vass is returning the favor during games. He has 680 yards rushing and seven touchdowns in four games this season.

"He does a lot of things a coach can't take credit for," Scagliotta said. "Reading. Cutting. He runs so hard all the time. He runs to score."

He runs with a football, much like he does now with his daily behavior, with a purpose.

Southern Lehigh 46, Northwestern 10

Bangor 7, Notre Dame-GP 0

Catasauqua 43, Salisbury 3

Palisades 31, Northern Lehigh 12

Pen Argyl 35, Wilson 22

Saucon Valley 42, Palmerton 7

WEEK 4'S TOP PERFORMANCES

Josh Pensyl, Bangor: Had nine tackles and an interception as Slaters' defense limited Notre Dame to 110 yards total offense in a 7-0 win.

Nick Savant, Saucon Valley: Rushed for 180 yards and 3 TDs on just 12 carries in the Panthers' first win of the season.

Dylan Schmidt, Southern Lehigh: Ran for 87 yards and 2 TDs, caught a TD pass and ran for a 2-point conversion in the Spartans' first win of the season.

Chris Lemar, Wilson: Had nine tackles in his first varsity start against Pen Argyl. He has 17 tackles this season.

Jimmy Kelleher, Palisades: Had 10 tackles, forced a fumble and blocked a punt as the Pirates snapped a two-game losing streak and dealt the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.